Follow Us

Localize Your Documents to Globalize Your Business

These days, increasingly more companies are making products and services to target millions of people in the global market. This is an important strategy for businesses to reach a wider audience and increase profits. If you are currently running a business that is struggling to break even in difficult financial times, you should take your products or services to the global market. For this to happen, you need to go through a process called globalization. Read on to find out how to localize your documents to globalize your business.

Globalization involves two important components, internationalization and localization. Both play a vital role to ensure that your products are accessible to everyone around the world. If you have no idea how to localize your business documents, marketing materials and website content spend some time to get to know the basics in the field or turn to a localization professional. It is very important to make sure that your globalization projects rely on knowledge. The trial and error method may be too slow and expensive way to go global.

During the process of globalizing your business, the biggest hurdles facing you will be the differences in cultures and languages which prevents mutual understandings. You should always remember that it is risky to launch a business in foreign markets if you are not familiar with their culture and customs. For the most unfamiliar markets it would be reasonable to have a local localization service to help you with this.

As it pertains to the process to localize your documents, translating the text is not always enough. The localized document should maintain the feel and tone of your original message, even though they are conveyed in a manner that is culturally appropriate. The localization of business documents covers a number of things such as product documentation, PDF files, user guides, technical documents and promotional materials.

Since documents like brochures, instructions, specifications, training guides, annual reports, slide shows, bulletins, maintenance manuals and customer magazines are literally everywhere, it will take considerable amount of money and time investment to get documents translated to all the language versions. Successful localization usually requires both internal and external resources.

Here are some of the factors to consider when getting professional translation help to globalize your business:

Choose a reputable translation service provider after checking translation tools, skills, processes, referrals and testimonials from previous clients as well as their longevity and stability.

Check for transparency in prices, there should be no extra or hidden charges. (If they are not open with their pricing what else are they hiding..?)

Find a local professional contact who understands business as well as the international marketplace.

Overall, if you don’t have the needed cultural knowledge within your internal localization team, it’s very important to get help from someone who has it. Choosing the right professionals for translation help will ensure that your products and company will be delivered to international consumers in a smooth and hassle-free manner.